Noyes b



(No Model.)

N. B. ECGLESTON.

GAR COUPLING.

Patented June 23, 1885.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NOYES B. EOOLESTON, OF OXFORD, NENV YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,767, dated June 23, 1885.

Application filed May 6, 1885.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NoYEs B. ECCLESTON, of Oxford, in the county of Ohenango and State of New York, have invented a new and use ful Improvement in Oar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to car -couplers of that class where hooks and links are used instead of links and pins.

The object of the invention is, generally, to improve and simplify the coupler, whereby it is rendered effective and certain in operation easy and safe to manipulate, and cheap to manufacture.

The invention consists of the improved de tails of construction hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 representsaplan view of the coupler as locked. Fig. 2 is a bottom view. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail View of the hooks and links in side elevation.

In the drawings, A represents the carplatform. Beneaththe car,in suitable guides, extends the bar B, which serves in the place of the ordinary draw-bar. The end of this bar is secured in a cross-piece which allows it slight longitudinal movement. Upon either side of this crosspiece coiledsp rings are placed, thus placing the bar under tension. The end of the bar projects beyond the front of the car and terminates in a hook, at, the front edge thereof being beveled to prevent the face of the hook upon the other car from striking thereon and stopping the cars before they are coupled; Any shock that may occur will be taken up by the springs at the opposite end of the bar.

From the front of the car buffers b b are placed, which may be covered with rubber on the ends,to take up the shock of the cars meeting. I provide one of these buffers upon each side of the bar B, as shown. Between the buffers, upon a shaft, 0, having its bearing in and supported by the bar B, I place alink, C, of such size as to extend up into the inner bend of the hook of the bar B. The shaft 0 is continued out upon each side,where it termi- (No model.)

nates in a handle, so that the line may be raised or lowered by the brakeman from either side of the car.

It will be understood that the same construction and arrangement of parts is provided for both ends of the car.

When two cars come together, the coupling is entirely automatic, requiring no attention whatever. The normal position of the links is horizontal, and as the ears approach the hooked ends of the bars raise the links of the opposite car simultaneously until the cars have approached so near as to allow the links to fall over the hooked ends of the bars. In this position the cars are securely locked in place, and no amount of shaking or jolting will uncouple them.

In'order to uncouple the cars, the link of each coupler must be lifted by the handles thereof, and then the hooked bars are free and the cars may be separated.

I do not limit myself to the precise coir struction of the parts, as they may be changed in various ways without altering the function thereof or departing from the spirit of my invention.

Means may be provided extending upward, so as to uncouple the cars from the top there of or from the platform, if desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- In a carcoupling, hooked bars, the hooked ends of which are adapted to pass each other and to form a recess between the walls of the hooks, links connected to shafts passing through said hooked bars, the said links being of shorter length than the hooked bars and adapted to be held from Vertical move ment in the recess between the faces of the hooks, and a suitable handle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the p resence of two subscribing witnesses.

NOYES B. ECOLESTON.

.Vitnesses:

SAML. S. STAFFORD, B. M. EMERsoN. 

